The Historical Debates of Imam Reza (AS) in Merv

The Imams presence in Khorasan was a great opportunity for the locals to directly ask him questions. Mamun himself also asked many questions from the Imam in public and private meetings. Mamun, who himself was knowledgeable in the Islamic faith, had asked the Imam many questions regarding the interpretations of the Quran, the traditions of the Prophet, and the fundamentals of the Shia belief. The Imam provided him with convincing answers. Mamun arranged a series of debates in his palace between the Imam and the well-known Islamic and non-Islamic scholars. His intention was to defeat and disgrace the Imam during the scientific debates. If Mamun would have been able to fulfill his intention, he would have ruined the Imams reputation in the eyes of the Muslims, who respected the Imam for his endless knowledge. In the most famous debate, Mamun gathered the leaders of Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Sabians in his palace. He held a grand official event for their debate with the Imam. Crowds of people and government officials attended. The Imam knew that there would not be a common ground with the leaders of the other religions for the debate, because they would deny the Imams reasoning with Quranic evidence and the traditions of the Holy Prophet. To everyones surprise, the Imam debated each of the leaders according to their respective holy books. The Imam demonstrated that his knowledge was not limited to Islamic resources, and that he was more knowledgeable than the leaders in their own teachings. The Imam first debated with the Christian leader. The Christian leader asked him to bring two witnesses who had testified to the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and were approved by the Christians. The Imam recited parts of the Gospel in which Prophet Jesus and his apostle had spoken about the last Prophet. During the debate, the Imam said that he believed in Prophet Jesus, but had only found one flaw about him. The Imam said that Prophet Jesus did not pr

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